"Come on, Mommy!" Grace said, looking back at her mother who was pushing her little brother up the steep hill in his stroller. The four year old old was sitting on top of her father's shoulders as they led their small family to the Christmas tree farm.

"I'm coming, honey," she called out, trying to perk up for the sake of her daughter.

She had just gotten off a double shift and was truly exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to go home and get settled in her warm bed but they had promised their daughter that they would go get a Christmas tree today. Jamie had told her to go home and rest while he took the kids but she didn't want to miss out on the family outing.

They made it up the hill and were finally in view of the tree farm. Grace quickly got down from her father's shoulders and took his hand as they started to inspect the rows of trees. Eddie continued to push Conor, who seemed content with looking at the trees from his stroller.

"So what kind of tree are we looking for, Bub?" Eddie asked her husband.

"A Douglas fir that's no more than a foot taller than Dad," Jamie explained. "Not too skinny, not too wide either. Our apartment only has so much space."

Jamie was always very particular when it came to what kind of tree they should get. He was the residential expert in these types of things so she always left the decision up to him. She fondly remembered back to their first Christmas together, where they got a tree at this farm. Her husband had done extensive research in the days prior to determine the best tree to get. It amused her to see how into it he got, but it made her love him even more. Their daughter was now the same way, probably even more particular than her father.

"I like this one!" Grace announced as she stood with her hands on her hips next to a tree that was clearly not in criteria of what her father had said. It was probably four to five feet taller than they needed and wider than the length of Jamie's Chevelle.

"Oh Grace," Eddie said as she walked up next to her daughter. "We can't take that one home. It's way too big to fit in the apartment."

"Yeah sweetheart. It's way too big," Jamie added, patting the top of his daughter's head. "That can probably compete with the one at Rockefeller Center. Let's try the others."

Grace let out a disappointed sigh and continued to walk. Jamie hung back slightly and put a hand around his wife's waist as she continued to push the stroller.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

"I'm alright," she replied with her tired eyes saying otherwise.

"Why don't you go back to the car and sleep? I can handle these two by myself. I'll call you once we find the tree."

"We do this every year, Jamie. I'm not missing this," she asserted to him. "I can make it a few more hours. But I wouldn't be against getting a back rub from you once these two go to bed tonight."

His eyes lit up in only a way she recognized. She let out a small laugh as she jokingly jabbed a finger in his chest.

"Only a back rub. I don't think I can do that tonight. A perp got a little too aggressive today and I ended up hitting the pavement."

Jamie suddenly got serious and frowned, "And why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you probably would've tied me up and made me stay home," she responded. "I'm fine, Jamie. Truly. Just sore. Now let's enjoy this, okay? We can worry about me later."

He sighed and nodded, "Okay."

Then, Jamie gently stopped her from walking and moved her away from the stroller.

"I'll take over now," he said. "You go with Grace."

"Thank you," she responded with a small smile. She quickly caught up to her daughter, who was throughly inspecting another tree.

"Do you find us a good one?" Eddie asked her daughter as she took her hand.

The four year old looked at the tree up and down before finally shaking her head. "I don't like it," she declared. "I want one like Pop-Pop's. It's big!"

"Pop-Pop has a big house to go with his big tree, honey," Eddie said. "Our tree will be just as nice as his but it can't be as big. Daddy would have to cut a hole through the roof to make the kind of tree you want fit." She directed her attention to another row of trees that seemed more appropriate. "I think you'll find a good one over there. Let's take a look."

They walked down the row with Jamie and Conor following. Grace stopped in front of each tree and gave them a good glance over. Her parents assume that she had her own tough criteria for them and most of the trees weren't making the cut. Jamie and Eddie gave each other a knowing look. If a decision wasn't made soon, then they would probably have to take home a very grumpy little girl with a tree that she didn't want.

Thankfully for them, it didn't take long for Grace to finally settle on a tree. It was tucked away towards the end of the row, almost hidden from view. It fit all the criteria that Jamie had, and seemed to fit Grace's too.

"Is this the one?" Eddie asked the four year old.

Grace nodded happily and started to bounce on the balls of her feet as she looked at her father. "Can we please take this one?" she asked.

"Hmmm," he drawled out as he walked up to the tree. He gave a thorough inspection, mimicking his daughter's actions from earlier which made his wife laugh. Grace started to get more anxious with the longer her father took.

"Jamie… she's going to make a hole in the ground if she keeps bouncing like that," Eddie said jokingly.

"Okay, we can take this one," Jamie finally said.

"Yay!" Grace exclaimed. She quickly hugged both of her parents and grabbed the attention of the attendant who was walking past them. "Excuse me! We would like this tree, please."

"Yes ma'am!" the attendant replied with a small chuckle. "I will get right on that."

Jamie and the attendant cut down the tree and tied it to the top of the car while Eddie, Grace, and Conor went and looked at the other activities offered at the farm. It was getting late and they still had a long drive back so they knew that they couldn't stay for too much longer. They finally decided on eating a quick dinner from the small concession stand and taking a complimentary photo with Santa Claus. Grace excitedly took a picture by herself while Conor was only content with taking one if being held by his mother.

A few short minutes after setting off back to the city, Jamie looked back in the rear view mirror to see his kids fast asleep. He had anticipated that they'd fall asleep on the ride home and hoped that they stayed that way for the rest of the night for his wife's sake.

"It was a good day, huh?" Jamie said to his wife.

All he got in response was soft snores. He looked over to the passenger's seat to see Eddie asleep, with her head leaning against the window. He couldn't help but give a small smile at the sight. He pulled one of their children's blankets from the back seat with his free hand and laid it over her before turning his attention back to road to continue driving his family back home.